Profile

Melbourn and Meldreth Lunch Club

Lunch Club is held every Thursday at Vicarage Close. The centre is open from 11.30am and lunch is served at 12. We are usually finished by 1pm but everyone is welcome to sit and chat until 1.30pm. It is a very informal gathering that hopes to provide the chance for the older members of our community to have a reasonably priced lunch and socialise with their peers.

The club is run by Nikki and Julie, two Melbourn based mums. It is open to anybody that wishes to join us (space permitting). Cost for lunch, desert and a tea or coffee is £5 which is payable on the day. All we ask is that you telephone us on the number below if you are not able to attend. We can provide transport to and from lunch club for those that need it.

Diabetic, vegetarian and other dietary requirements can be catered for if you inform us of your needs.

Our telephone number is 07599292327 Julie or Nikki will always try to answer your call but will always listen to messages and call back if requested. We look forward to seeing you.

Riding For The Disabled Association

Incorporating Driving

Iceni Group Riding for the Disabled Walk beside a child or lead a pony We desperately need your help at the South Cambridgeshire Equestrian Centre Barrington On Tuesday’s 9.45–11.45am In term time only Please contact Diana Allan 01638 572044 or Thalia Myers 07850 477550

Profile

Barbara Mackellar

Barbara Hutton was born in 1935 in Branspeth, Co.Durham, the eldest of three children. Her father was a mining engineer, a very gifted and musical man whilst her mother was artistic, good at all crafts, needlework etc. Living in part of a large old farmhouse she grew up with a good knowledge of the countryside. Like many of us who lived through the war years she has vivid memories – of food shortages and of the bombing of Tyneside. Her father trained the Home Guard and they would dedicate their shooting practice to the killing of rabbits that found their way into the pot!

She attended Durham Girls Grammar School and then Sunderland Art School. There she found herself in the company of high fliers such as the sculptor Fenwick Lawson and soon felt that she was out of her depth amongst such brilliance!

In those days there was very little careers advice for girls – you became a teacher or a nurse. One day she saw a poster of white uniformed girls marching in Valetta and on an impulse she signed up to become a WREN, so 1954 found her at Burfield doing her training as a Wren weapons analyst. She worked for 4½ years with pilots of the Fleet Air Arm largely keeping track of the Russians in the North Sea – this was during the Cold War when there was a very real threat. Then came the crisis in Northern Ireland and she was sent there, quite a dangerous posting. The WRENS were not allowed to go out at night unless accompanied by a male colleague. Barbara was doing a Spanish course and Flt Sgt Iain MacKellar was doing a German course so he became her escort. She thought he was quite nice, but she had joined the Navy to see the world, not to get married!

Then came the Suez crisis and she was posted to Malta – dream come true, there she was – girl in white uniform walking down the street in Valetta!

Barbara’s family were devoutly Christian and so she was in the habit of going to church and became very friendly with the base chaplain. He was an historian and took pleasure in introducing her to the wealth of Maltese history. During her time on the island she and two girl friends would take their leave periods in North Africa working in orphanages, clinics and on farm projects alongside the missionaries. I have omitted to say that throughout her teens her father had insisted on her spending every summer in Lorraine on an exchange organised by the mining communities of Durham and Northern France, so Barbara was fluent in French, the language of most of North Africa.

Eventually she began to feel she had spent too much time being involved with killing people and it was time to do something constructive. She contacted the Hackney Hospital in London asking if she could train as a nurse for the North African Mission, but was told that it was midwives that were needed. Leaving the Navy she arrived in the East End of London where life was exactly like the TV show Call the Midwife! She did a two-year midwifery course and taking her final exam on a Wednesday morning, she flew out to Tangier in the afternoon and was on the ward Thursday morning.

Barbara loved everything about that time in Morocco – the food, the people the culture and especially the music. The matron of the hospital was Patricia St John, the author of The Tanglewood Secret and other stories and they became good friends. It was not long before Iain flew out to see her and proposed marriage – he had waited a long time for this and was delighted when she accepted. Matron threw a party for them and they went back to be married in Newcastle. Iain’s parents had gone out to Australia after the war on a £10 ticket so the first thing on the agenda was to pay them a visit. They flew to Australia where, after meeting the extended family, they enrolled in the Queensland Bible College.

The six or so years in Australia were very happy ones, Alasdair and then Calum were born and both she and Iain had to do a stint as a curate. Barbara once again immersed herself in the culture and history of the Aborignal people and would have been happy to stay there evermore. But Iain had kept in touch with the North African Mission and so they took a ship through the Suez canal, travelling to Marseille (where Kenneth was born) and three months later they were back in North Africa slipping back into the old routine. In Casablanca the boys went to an International school and Barbara learned Arabic.

However, the Bible Society HQ where Iain worked was eventually demolished not to be replaced and he was offered another job in Marseille working with radio and printing Arabic and French translations of the bible. Iain was a great sportsman and the boys had a wonderful time accompanying him to outward bound camps, and so forth – Barbara went along as the camp nurse! This was another happy period.

But sadly it was not to last. Iain wanted to take a job in the south of England and having sold up their French house he took Barbara back to her mother’s house and then – just disappeared. By that time Kenneth and Alasdair were married and Calum at Stuttgart University. Mrs. Hutton was 87 and in poor health, so Barbara became her carer and in her spare time studied to become a Lay Reader. When her mother decided to go into a home and her house was sold, Barbara became homeless! A friend persuaded her to follow up an advertisement for a vacant Storeys Trust house in Melbourn. She travelled down to inspect it, being told she had to make a decision then and there and that is how she came to Melbourn.

At first it seemed like a foreign country – she had been more at home in North Africa! She re-did her Lay Readers course at Ely – twice, because there seemed to be no need for her services in Melbourn. But then came the inter-regnum and Barbara was helpful in steering the congregation of All Saints through two difficult years before Andrew O’Brien came.

Anyone who has visited Barbara’s garden during Open Gardens will know that it is an absolute picture and whilst the vicarage was unoccupied, Barbara busied herself with keeping the garden under control – her early years in the countryside bearing fruit. One day she was having a moan to Rosemary Gatward about the little garden at 83 High Street, saying how unkempt it was, and guess what? She found herself responsible for it, you may have seen her working there. In her expert hands it has become a really nice place to sit and catch your breath.

Barbara’s other passion has always been music. She has a vast collection of folk and ethnic music and her talks at the U3A Music Group are always eagerly anticipated. She especially loves Spanish, Jewish and Arabic music from the 14th century onwards. With her music, her books and her gardening she keeps busy. She is also a dedicated, caring and compassionate woman with a vast experience of life. Mavis Howard

Proposed housing development By now, everyone in the village will be aware of the proposed development of 199 houses off New Road by Endurance Estates. The company itself has carried out a survey via their communications company Sharpe Communications. This not only covered our village but also included some of the surrounding village with the net result being that any opinions they received from Melbourn would be diluted with those from other villages.

To gauge the true feelings of the inhabitants of Melbourn, the Parish Council carried out its own survey. Every household within Melbourn received a simple questionnaire. A total of 1,648 individuals replied and of those who responded 85% were against the development. This gives an unequivocal mandate to the Parish Council to oppose the development.

Endurance Estates have been asked to address the Parish Council and also to hold an exhibition in the village to explain their views of the new development. Unfortunately they have declined to do both. Endurance Estates have also applied for outline planning permission.

At the time of writing, the Parish Council held its own exhibition showing the plans of the proposed development. This will also set the stand the Parish Council is taking and potential drawbacks of the development. The exhibition took place on the weekend of 24 and 25 January. New Road Cemetery New Road Cemetery is major village asset and the Parish Council is continually improving it. The latest developments involve a pathway to the top of the mound and planting of many more native trees. This will give us a green burial area. Green burials are a growing movement as many people take a more ecological approach to all aspects of existence. Village Car Park Melbourn Parish Council is committed to improving the village car park. A Project Manager and design team has been appointed and it is anticipated that construction work will commence in the spring this year.

The Parish Council recognises some of the concerns with the current car park, notably poor lighting and anti-social behaviour. The design will seek to mitigate these issues and also provide a safe route to school for children attending the primary school. The construction contract for the car park will also include the provision of much needed footpath improvements at the rear of the Cross. All construction work will be completed by late summer when residents will be able to enjoy the new improved facilities.

The Exhibition

As the Chairman of the Parish Council has noted in his Article elsewhere in this magazine, Melbourn Parish Council exhibited Endurance Estates’ planning application at The Hub on 24 and 25 January. The village turned out in force to have a look at what the developer is proposing.

Endurance Estates had refused to hold an exhibition of their plans despite a specific request from the Parish Council to do so. At the Parish Council’s exhibition, residents were able to see displays of the information EE has given in its summary of the scheme and also to examine the detailed reports submitted on a range of specific issues; for example, the outcome of archaeological investigations; a report on the condition of the trees on the site and the modelling which has been done to show the impact that vehicles from 199 homes would have on traffic flow in the village.

This is an outline planning proposal so was short on detail about what would actually be built if EE gets planning permission. So we do not know what mix of homes (How many 1 and 2 bedroom houses? How many ‘Executive Homes?) would be built, except that 40% of them will be required to be affordable housing. We do not know what the buildings would like – because we have not seen specific designs for this site. We have only seen an ‘indicative’ plan of the layout of the site.

Everyone who came was asked to send in a letter to the Planning Officer so that he knows the strength of feeling in Melbourn and is no doubt about the things that concern residents most. Visitors also signed a petition – we had 355 signatures over the 2 days. The Extraordinary Parish Council Meeting On 28 January the Parish Council met to formalise its response to the planning application. The agreed recommendation to South Cambridgeshire District Council was refusal, and the report prepared by the Melbourn Futures Committee sets out the grounds for that recommendation. By the time you read this, we expect that report to be available on the Parish Council website or at the Parish Office.

What happens next? Endurance Estates’ planning application has to be considered by the SCDC Planning Committee, which will decide whether or not to grant permission. If permission is refused, EE has the right to appeal. At the time of writing, we do not know when the Planning Committee will rule on this application. The Melbourn Futures Committee will continue to keep residents up-to-date with what is happening. Melbourn Futures Committee, Melbourn Parish Council

County Councillor

199 new homes for Melbourn, 509 with Barrington/Foxton: infrastructure required

As your representative at the council responsible for infrastructure, I am looking at the application for 199 homes in Melbourn with concern about the principle of speculative planning applications, which by definition means that there is no appropriate accompanying infrastructure plan. This is because the applications have been made during a glitch in the planning process, while we await an Inspector’s ruling on the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan.

Together with Barrington and Foxton, a total of 509 new homes are proposed for our area, presenting a very significant cumulative impact on the same cluster of local services. We know that early years’ education and doctor’s surgeries could not cope with that extra demand and indications are that potential contributions to grow local schools will fall woefully

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short of what is required. The County Council is coping with unprecedented cuts and there is no spare cash to draw upon. I’m concerned about increased pressure on traffic conflict points both within the village and along the A10, particularly at junctions and level crossings, and do not feel that plans have been demonstrated to prompt a culture change in transport choices - so the prevailing use of the car would continue. The positive aspects of these applications would be an increase in the supply of affordable housing and new students for Melbourn Village College; however the foundation stage of education needs a properly funded framework, and everyone needs access to a local GP. While Cemex has engaged extensively with Barrington residents, Gladman in Foxton and Endurance Estates in Melbourn have held no public meetings to answer your queries or to explain their plans, and applications are being rushed through. If you are concerned about having missed consultation deadlines and would like me to relay any particular points on your behalf, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We are expecting the planning decision to happen in early March. Oil Club reminder

With a few weeks of winter left to come it is worth sending out a reminder about our bulk buying ‘Melbourn Division Oil Club’, set up to help people get the best prices on household heating oil. This is open to anyone who lives in the cluster of villages around Melbourn, and there is no fee or obligation of any kind. There’s an item about it on my website (susanvandeven.com) or you can simply contact our bulk buyer, Jeremy Cole, directly: Jeremy@agricole.co.uk, Tel 01954 719 452, 07860 904 045. Winter gritting update

Details on which roads, footways and cycleways are included on the County Council’s gritting schedule can be seen on the Cambridgeshire County Council website. (If it’s helpful, Philippa Hart and I have included a link to it in our monthly email newsletter, which is always posted on my website, www. susanvandeven.com).

The Council’s Highways and Community Infrastructure Committee has worked together to find ways of preventing cuts to the gritting service, in spite of a 59% cut to the committee’s non-ring-fenced budget. ‘Route optimization’ including higher quality and differentiated weather forecasts, and fine-tuned spreading mechanisms, mean that a very large budget saving will be made without compromising the actual service – though next year the job will be even more difficult, as the council faces several more years of severe cut backs. Nevertheless, renewed efforts will be made, I’m sure!

Southwell Court

Following the public meeting at Southwell Court in midOctober, when Metropolitan Housing Association claimed that a restriction on a Homes and Communities Agency grant was preventing the sale of the home to another provider as a going concern, Jose Hales, Val Barrett and I have been working with the families of Southwell Court residents and the County Council to ascertain a clearer picture of this snag and also, what opportunities might exist for the future. A Freedom of Information request showed that the HCA grant never existed in the first place. Through the County Council we have pressed for clarification by Metropolitan on why these erroneous claims were made.

Meanwhile we would like to thank the County Council for having set aside extra support to ensure that all affected residents succeeded in finding new care home placements as smoothly as possible – though we understand that this has inevitably been a distressing transition from a close-knit community. Looking to the future, we are supporting the County Council’s exploration of operating a care home on the Southwell Court site. This would be a new venture and much work needs to take place to understand the scope of possibility. Susan van de Ven susanvandeven@yahoo.co.uk, Tel 261833

End of World War 2 Commemoration Small Grants

Next summer marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. In celebration of this important anniversary, Cambridgeshire County Council is pleased to announce a Small Grants Fund to encourage community activity.

It is an opportunity for communities and Cambridgeshire residents to come together to remember the wartime effort, celebrate peace, reminisce about the ‘unforgettable forties’ era and capture some of the celebratory mood of the time. Whether it be a community tea dance, the researching and sharing of stories of the time, a lindy hop event, raising morale through music or sport, a ‘make do and mend’ community craft project, creating a ‘Dig For Victory’ garden or giving your fete or festival a forties theme, we would like you to design and deliver activities within your community that motivate and encourage people to get involved.

Small grants will be awarded to local groups and organisations to support community activities linked to and inspired by the 70th anniversary, wartime Britain and the 1940’s era.

Each grant will be up to a maximum of £500 and additional funding or support in kind will be expected. The grants will be awarded in two rounds. The deadlines for applications for each round are 9th February and 9th March.

To request an application form and for details on how to apply for a Small Grant, please email ww2commemoration@ cambridgeshire.gov.uk or call 01954 284615.

Questions for your Councillor? If you have a question for your County or District Councillors please contact the following: District Cllr Val Barrett Tel 01763 261227 valbarrett2001@yahoo.com County Cllr Susan van de Ven Tel 01763 261833 www.susanvandeven.com District Cllr Jose Hales Tel 01763 221058 jose@josehales.me.uk Cllr van de Ven and Cllr Hales hold a drop-in advice surgery at Melbourn Library Access Point in the Melbourn Hub on the first Monday of the month from 2:30–3:30. If you’d like to make an appointment to meet at any another time or closer to home, please let them know.